


Mercurial

by mendacium_dulce (lux_veritatis)



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Gen, Hurt/Comfort, but nothing requited from Tom's end... yet :P, slight puppy crush from Harry's end
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-27
Updated: 2019-10-27
Packaged: 2021-01-04 13:51:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 626
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21198716
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lux_veritatis/pseuds/mendacium_dulce
Summary: In which a twelve-year-old Harry attempts to escape and Tom has to deal with his mercurial emotions.





	Mercurial

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Cybrid](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cybrid/gifts).
  * In response to a prompt by [Cybrid](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cybrid/pseuds/Cybrid) in the [October_Flash_Fest_Part_Two](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/October_Flash_Fest_Part_Two) collection. 

> **Prompt:**
> 
> Slice of life fic. Diary Tom kidnaps Harry Potter at the end of Chamber of Secrets...then realises how much work raising a twelve year old is...particularly when you're only 16 yourself.

Acting as Harry James Potter's guardian was a more troublesome endeavor than Tom would have expected. The boy was compliant on the surface, that was for sure, but whenever he thought Tom wasn't looking, it was only a matter of minutes until his simulated compliance vanished into thin air and he made an attempt to explore the vast manor Tom had taken him to to protect him from his main soul.

On most occasions, Tom let him, having concluded that it might come in handy to give him the illusion of having some leverage – an illusion Tom could snatch away at will and for maximum effect when Harry expected it the least.

However, when Harry had finally discovered the door that would allow him to leave the manor, Tom knew that he had to interfere. It wouldn't do if his Horcrux wandered off on his own and with his infamous Potter luck ran into Tom's insane future self.

“Where do you think you're going, Harry?” he demanded, stepping out of his hiding place, and there was a sharpness to his tone that made the boy flinch.

“I, err, wanted to see the garden.”

At such a transparent lie and poorly concealed escape attempt, Tom could only sigh.  
  
“You could have asked me to show it to you during daytime.”  
  
"Would you have said yes?” Harry demanded, and almond-shaped green eyes bore into Tom's dark ones.

“Well, it would have depended on whether you behaved,” Tom lied smoothly before adding, “At the very least, I would have considered it.”

However, from Harry's defiant expression and body language, it was obvious that he wasn't satisfied with Tom's empty promise, and so, Tom decided to attempt a slightly different approach.

Allowing his expression to harden, he admonished, “In any case, I'm very disappointed in you, Harry. I am perfectly aware of your plans to run back to Hogwarts the very moment an opportunity presents itself. But have you ever thought about what would happen to your friends and the castle itself, should Voldemort attempt to track you down again? Have you ever thought about casualties? How many more people have to die for you for you to understand?”

Having fully expected Harry's slouched shoulders and his resigned expression, Tom had not accounted for the _tears_ that well edup in those piercing green eyes, then trickled down his round cheeks, and once again, he was reminded of how young the Chosen One was.

How was Tom supposed to best respond to Harry Potter crying, when he had next to no experience with children? (He had harmed children in the past, when he had been a child himself, but he had never bothered to dry the tears he had coaxed forth.) He couldn't yet appeal to the boy with logic nor subtle seduction.

After a moment of awkward silent only interrupted by the boy's stifled sobs, Tom stepped closer to him and placed a comforting hand on Harry's trembling shoulder.

“I apologize,” he murmured. “I might have been too harsh in my scolding. As long as you stay by my side, nothing will happen to your friends and loved ones. That I can promise you.”

Biting down on his bottom lip, most likely to prevent more sobs from escaping, Harry nodded and allowed Tom to guide him back to his room.

Having waited for Harry to lie down again, Tom smoothed down his blanket before pressing a chaste kiss to his forehead, to the scar that marked him as his Horcrux. 

What he hadn't expected was the faint blush that now colored Harry's cheeks.

Truly, how the boy could go from being defiant to crying to exhibiting signs of a _puppy crush_ in the span of mere minutes was beyond Tom.


End file.
